Repurposing the anti-malarial drug dihydroartemisinin suppresses metastasis of non-small-cell lung cancer via inhibiting NF-κB/GLUT1 axis

Non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is an aggressive malignancy and long-term survival remains unsatisfactory for patients with metastatic and recurrent disease. Repurposing the anti-malarial drug dihydroartemisinin (DHA) has been proved to possess potent antitumor effect on various cancers. However, the effects of DHA in preventing the invasion of NSCLC cells have not been studied. In the present study, we determined the inhibitory effects of DHA on invasion and migration and the possible mechanisms involved using A549 and H1975 cells. DHA inhibited in vitro migration and invasion of NSCLC cells even in low concentration with little cytotoxicity. Additionally, low concentration DHA also inhibited Warburg effect in NSCLC cells. Mechanically, DHA negatively regulates NF-κB signaling to inhibit the GLUT1 translocation. Blocking the NF-κB signaling largely abolishes the inhibitory effects of DHA on the translocation of GLUT1 to the plasma membrane and the Warburg effect. Furthermore, GLUT1 knockdown significantly decreased the inhibition of invasion, and migration by DHA. Our results suggested that DHA can inhibit metastasis of NSCLC by targeting glucose metabolism via inhibiting NF-κB signaling pathway and DHA may deserve further investigation in NSCLC treatment.